Lewis Hamilton says he will be able to speak to Mercedes before his McLaren contract expires at the end of the year.

The Brazilian Grand Prix was Hamilton's last race with McLaren but his contract with the team does not expire until December 31. However, he has confirmed that he's received permission from team principal Martin Whitmarsh to speak to Mercedes, though he says he won't be having much input on next year's car yet.

"I won't be doing much technical work with Mercedes," Hamilton is quoted in the Daily Telegraph. "But Martin says I am allowed to talk to people."

Hamilton added that his PR commitments would be greatly reduced at Mercedes and that he is looking forward to using that time to work harder ahead of the new season.

"I am going to have the biggest holiday I have had in a long, long time. I look forward to having, like, a third of the PR events that I have here. Maybe even a quarter. To having a bit more time in my life to be able to train and prepare. It will be a new car and a new experience and it is going to be interesting."